Ad van Kuijk was the brother of Dutch entrepreneur Colonel Tom Parker. He was born in 1913 in Breda, Netherlands, to Adam van Kuijk and Maria Elisabeth. Ad van Kuijk had 10 siblings Sjef, Sjaan, Johannes, Anneke, Nel, Lien, Johanna, Jan, Marie and Colonel Tom Parker. He grew up with his siblings in Breda, North Brabath, but his brother Colonel Tom Parker illegally migrated to the US.

Personal Life and Career

Little is available on the internet regarding the personal life of Ad van Kuijk. He was married and had children, but the number of his children is unknown except Ad Jr. There is no information on what Ad van Kuijk did to earn a living, but his son made guitars. He loves guitars as it has been his passion; he even has a YouTube channel where he posts videos on making guitars.

Ad van Kuijk’s son makes a variety of guitars, including flamenco, classical, and Gypsy-jazz guitars. It is his livelihood, and that is how he can meet his daily financial needs.

His Brother

Ad van Kuijk’s older brother Colonel Tom Parker moved to the United States as a 20-year-old man. On arriving in the US, he changed his name from Andreas Cornelius van Kuijk to Thomas Andrew Parker and claimed to be a United States citizen by birth.

His Brother’s Major Work

While in the US, Ad van Kuijk’s brother ventured into the music business; he was a music promoter and worked with several musicians, including Gene Austin and Elvis Presley. In 1938, Colonel Tom Parker started working with Gene Austin. Gene has achieved much success in his music career, but he had squandered most of his money partying and on women.

It was easy for Ad van’s brother to sell tickets, and Gene’s shows were always sold out, but Parker did not want to be a promoter but instead be a manager. Ad’s brother stopped music promotion after finding a job as a field agent for a local animal shelter. The animal shelter held a fundraiser in which he was a promoter, and among the attendees were musicians, so he decided to return to music.

In the 1940s, Ad van Kuijk’s brother worked as Eddy Arnold’s music promoter, becoming his manager in 1945. He signed most of the music contracts for Arnold, and his music did well; however, Parker started involving himself with other musicians, so Eddy Arnold fired him in 1953.

In 1955, Ad’s brother started working as Elvis Presley’s music promoter. However, he initially worked with Neal, who served as Presley’s manager. After some time, Parker resumed his role as the special advisor of Elvis Presley. In 1956, Ad’s brother became Elvis Presley’s acting manager, and they worked together until he died in 1977.

Ad van Kuijk’s brother died of a stroke in 1997, aged 87. In his last days, he had gout, diabetes, and many other health issues.

Is Ad van Kuijk Alive?

Ad van Kuijk is not alive. He died in 1992, aged 79, due to emphysema. He was buried in his hometown Breda.